When the Boston Red Sox signed Alex Bregman late in the offseason, it was easy to assume he'd slot in as the team's regular second baseman. Bregman had expressed a willingness to play the position, and the Red Sox already had a star third baseman, Rafael Devers, on their roster. When Devers said early in spring training that he would not move off of third base, it felt more apparent that Bregman would slot in at the keystone. The way spring training has played out thus far, however, appears to suggest otherwise.
Bregman has appeared in three spring training games for the Red Sox, with all three coming at third base. Bregman has also been seen fielding ground balls at third base a whole lot more than at second base. Well, if Bregman is going to play second base, why is he acting like a third baseman?
Perhaps the answer to that is that the Red Sox plan on using him at the hot corner after all, whether Devers likes it or not.
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Red Sox appear eager to give third base spot to Alex Bregman, whether Rafael Devers wants that or not
When manager Alex Cora was asked when Bregman was going to see second-base action, his response was “At one point,” according to Chad Jennings of The Athletic ($).
While it's easy to assume that Bregman can play second base if called upon, he has just nine MLB appearances (two starts) and 32 innings at the position over the course of his nine-year career. He has not played there in an MLB game since 2018, and has not played a position in the field that wasn't third base since 2019. If the Red Sox wanted him to play regularly at second base, wouldn't they want to play him more, especially in games that don't count? The answer being an obvious yes suggests that this is clearly not the plan right now.
It's never ideal to alienate a franchise player like Devers, but it isn't hard to see why the Red Sox seem to be on track to giving Bregman his third-base spot. Bregman won a Gold Glove this past season for his play at the hot corner. On the flip side, Devers is arguably the worst defensive third baseman in the sport. His bat is great, obviously, but his glove makes him an ideal fit at the DH spot.
The Red Sox can use Bregman at third base, Devers at DH, and one or multiple of Kristian Campbell, Vaughn Grissom, or David Hamilton at second base. This might not be a popular decision in Devers' mind, but could give the Red Sox their best chance to win (especially if Campbell, a top prospect, proves he's MLB-ready) which is the ultimate goal at the end of the day.
It's important to note that Devers has yet to see any Grapefruit League action as he continues to deal with shoulder troubles. Once he does play in games, perhaps that'll be when Bregman will see more time at second base, but that feels like a reach. Nothing about how Bregman has approached spring training suggests he's anything but a third baseman, which is a stark contrast from initial expectations.